Laser useful for severe facial acne
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-07-25 14:08
Laser treatment can reduce inflammatory facial acne lesions with few side
effects, new research shows. Moreover, it appears to work even with the darkest
skin types.
The findings, which appear in the Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology, are based on a study of 22 patients, with light to dark skin types,
who underwent three treatments with the laser - specifically a1450-nanometer
diode laser - at 3 to 4 week intervals.
The subjects received treatment at high or low doses on the left or the right
side of the face, the report indicates.
After three treatments, average acne lesion counts were reduced by about 75
percent and 70 percent with the low and high dose treatment, respectively, Dr.
Ming H. Jih, from the University of Texas School of Medicine in Houston, and
colleagues report. These reductions basically persisted at a 12-month follow-up
examination.
Side effects were minimal - typically transient redness and swelling - and
the procedure-related pain was well tolerated, the investigators note.
The results indicate that the laser is a safe and effective treatment for
facial inflammatory acne vulgaris, the researchers conclude.
They say it is "a suitable first-line, second-line, or (add-on) treatment
modality for moderate to severe acne."
SOURCE: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, July 2006.
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